Generalized anxiety disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a mental health condition characterized by feelings of intense anxiety and constant worry that you experience most days for at least 6 months.
What is Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a mental health condition characterized by feelings of intense anxiety and constant worry that you experience most days for at least 6 months. The key feature of GAD is that your worry feels very difficult to control, even when you try to stop thinking and not engage with it. You can’t stop worrying which often entails thinking about the worst-case scenarios of what might happen in the future. Another feature of GAD is that what you may feel exhausted and have difficulties to concentrate on important things along with physical symtoms like muscle tension, sleeping problems and irritability.
Is it ‘’Normal’’ to worry ?
It is important to note that worrying is part of being human. Literally everyone worries. As a child, you may worry about your parents going away. As a teenager, you may worry about having a bad school grade. Later in life, when you become an adult, you may worry about losing your job, or that you might get sick. These are normal worries. Here is the important difference: people who do not suffer from GAD can usually get through these thoughts without becoming overwhelmed by them, unlike people with GAD, who may become stuck in a cycle of worry, start identifying with the thoughts, and criticize themselves for what they feel.
CBT as an effective treatment for worry
Research shows that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) works well for worry.
Your therapist will first educate you about the nature of your worries and the actions you are taking (such as avoiding your thoughts) that are actually making your worries worse. Your therapist will also create a tailored treatment program with different components and exercises based on your specific needs. You will practice these exercises by yourself at home. This includes self-monitoring your worries, self-criticism, judgments, and the avoidance that results from those feelings and thoughts. Most importantly, you will learn how to set goals that are aligned with your values and take action towards them.